• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

"I Need a New PC!" 2015 Part 1. Read the OP and RISE ABOVE FORGED PRECISION SCIENCE

Status
Not open for further replies.

Blitzhex

Member
I can play games just fine without fps loss with prime95 running in the background.. is this normal? It doesn't make any sense to me when prime is supposed to be 100%ing my CPU. Prime's been running for 13 hours so far with lots of on and off gaming.
 

RGM79

Member
Well.. Looks like it's on the guy who installed it.

The bent pins can possibly be fixed and put back into place with fine tweezers or a needle and a steady hand. As for the broken pin, refer to this technical document for socket 1150, specifically page 112 and after that. If the pin that broke was just a ground pin, the processor may still work even without that one pin. Otherwise.. You'll be needing a new motherboard.
 

LiquidMetal14

hide your water-based mammals
Well, in terms of what look like good deals, there's 16GB of G.Skill Ripjaws 4 DDR4-2666 for $220. It's even cheaper than some DDR4-2133/2400 kits. If you want higher speeds, there's 16GB of GeIL DDR4-3000 for $250, but the heatspreaders look very tall.

If you plan to play at high resolutions like 4K, the 8GB VRAM on the R9 295X2 will be better, although it looks like the GTX 970s are generally able to muster a comparable or even slight better framerate than the R9 295X2. It's up to you if you want the 8GB of VRAM with the R9 295X2 or better power/framerate efficiency with the GTX 970 SLI.



What are you looking for, exactly?
Any reviews for that Geil memory?

Would jump on it but there's no feedback on the site.

Anyone have an 850 Pro? Looks like the best SSD on the market. I'm debating on a 256GB 850 Pro or an M.2 PCIe variant.
 
Well.. Looks like it's on the guy who installed it.

I wasn't there so can't say what he did, he says nothing, just put the cpu in, correct orientation first time.

It is puzzling - I've seen what pins look like when something is dropped into the socket and they are a mess. This is just 3 isolated pins.

Well I'll just get him to RMA it and see what they say. Maybe if they sometimes see boards come out of the box this way they'll be up for a replacement.
 

LilJoka

Member
I wasn't there so can't say what he did, he says nothing, just put the cpu in, correct orientation first time.

It is puzzling - I've seen what pins look like when something is dropped into the socket and they are a mess. This is just 3 isolated pins.

Well I'll just get him to RMA it and see what they say. Maybe if they sometimes see boards come out of the box this way they'll be up for a replacement.

Yeah it looks unrepairable from those pics, few of them are way too far gone. I have no idea how anyone managed to do that, the pins are actually quite strong so it's hard to bend then back over themselves.
 

The Judge

Member
Any Brazil-GAF lurking around? I'm looking for recommendations on where to buy assorted parts as I am starting now to build one.

Thanks!
 
Why does my motherboard output a signal to HDMI instead of DVI (where my monitor is) during POST even though the TV connected to the HDMI is turned off?
I have to turn on the TV every time I want to see any POST info or get into BIOS. >(
It's annoying and I don't know why is that happening.
MBO is ASUS Z87 Pro, GPU is Gigabyte GTX 970 G1.
 

The Llama

Member
I can play games just fine without fps loss with prime95 running in the background.. is this normal? It doesn't make any sense to me when prime is supposed to be 100%ing my CPU. Prime's been running for 13 hours so far with lots of on and off gaming.

I played Europa Universalis 4, a EXTREMELY CPU intensive game, for like 8 hours one day while Prime95 was accidentally running in the background (and I had no idea). It was a little more sluggish than normal but still perfectly normal. So basically, don't worry, modern CPU's are insanely powerful.

Great choice for a 144 hz monitor ?

http://www.monitorstore.be/product/429598/category-220902/benq-xl2720z.html

My mouse is circling the buy button .

I have a very similar one except its the 11z, not the 20z. Love it. Go for it!

Edit: Actually, looks like thats a 27", not a 24". If they have it, I'd just go for a 24" one because 1080p at 27" looks weird, but thats just IMO.
 

naw

Member
if you're from the US and you're in the process of building your PC, don't order from NCIXUS

just don't

ordered RAM from there on the 20th and it still hasn't shipped out
 

Idba

Member
if you're from the US and you're in the process of building your PC, don't order from NCIXUS

just don't

ordered RAM from there on the 20th and it still hasn't shipped out

Its christmas. The single most busy time of year for the post service. Give it some time
 

Thorgal

Member
I played Europa Universalis 4, a EXTREMELY CPU intensive game, for like 8 hours one day while Prime95 was accidentally running in the background (and I had no idea). It was a little more sluggish than normal but still perfectly normal. So basically, don't worry, modern CPU's are insanely powerful.



I have a very similar one except its the 11z, not the 20z. Love it. Go for it!

Edit: Actually, looks like thats a 27", not a 24". If they have it, I'd just go for a 24" one because 1080p at 27" looks weird, but thats just IMO.

Thanks it's bought .


Still went for the 27ich one as i like big screens and most of my games will be played at higher then 1080 resolutions .

The great thing about ordering at that store is that just 5 minutes after ordering , i already received a mail telling me to pick up my order tomorrow .
 

Flandy

Member
I've had that issue before and it's somewhat sorta common for AMD cards. All graphics cards clock down when not in game or being stressed to save power and extend life - sometimes the AMD graphics card is running a bit too slow and that causes monitor flicker, on certain combinations of monitors and display outputs. I was running dual monitors off a single 5850 and only one monitor flickered.

Try updating your graphics drivers. If that doesn't work or if you're already on the latest drivers, then you'll need to go into Catalyst manager and manually set the card to run a bit faster to prevent flickering.

I'll try that. The card does seem to run fine in the Bios though. Shouldn't it flicker there too if there's low activity or is the card just completely off or something while in the bios?
 

Peterthumpa

Member
Well GAF, after a lot of research, planning to buy this rig. I'm looking forward a small setup so I could carry around easily. Any comments?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($93.29 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($86.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Corsair Force LX Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($127.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Red) Mini ITX Tower Case ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1010.22
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-26 12:27 EST-0500
 

RGM79

Member
8GB ram on 295x2 is split for two gpus so each one of them have access to 4GB

You're right. Looking at it now, the Titan Z also has it's memory slightly misleadingly described as 12GB (2 x 6GB).

I'll try that. The card does seem to run fine in the Bios though. Shouldn't it flicker there too if there's low activity or is the card just completely off or something while in the bios?
When I had the issue, I only ever noticed it flickering on my left monitor in Windows, not in BIOS. In Windows I had the monitors set to extend the desktop, but before loading Windows, both monitors are limited to mirror mode in BIOS and startup.

In my case, raising my 5850's non-gaming GPU clock to about 450-500MHz instead of 400MHz stopped it. I can't say 100% that you have the exact same issue, but it's worth a try.
 

kharma45

Member
Well GAF, after a lot of research, planning to buy this rig. I'm looking forward a small setup so I could carry around easily. Any comments?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($93.29 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($86.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Corsair Force LX Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($127.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Red) Mini ITX Tower Case ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1010.22
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-26 12:27 EST-0500

I'd look to this instead

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Red) Mini ITX Tower Case ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Cooler Master VSM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1010.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-26 12:49 EST-0500

- Better CPU (can overclock)
- Hyper 212 will run cooler and quieter than the stock Intel cooler, and also gives the option to overclock
- Z97 chipset adds a few niceties and is needed to overclock
- 2 sticks of RAM is better than one. You get twice the bandwidth and should one die you have a spare to run on.
- Cheaper SSD with no drop in quality
- Better cooler on this 970. No need for a blower cooler.
- Cheaper PSU but a better OEM inside, Seasonic rather than CWT. 550w will easily power this set up too.
 

Gizuko

Member
Thanks it's bought .


Still went for the 27ich one as i like big screens and most of my games will be played at higher then 1080 resolutions .

The great thing about ordering at that store is that just 5 minutes after ordering , i already received a mail telling me to pick up my order tomorrow .

I don't know how bad this problem would be for 1080p@27", but I can clearly see the black lines separating the pixels of my 1366x768@15.6" laptop (not for gaming so I don't care).

I just hope you are sitting a bit away from the screen.
 

Peterthumpa

Member
I'd look to this instead

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Red) Mini ITX Tower Case ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Cooler Master VSM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1010.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-26 12:49 EST-0500

- Better CPU (can overclock)
- Hyper 212 will run cooler and quieter than the stock Intel cooler, and also gives the option to overclock
- Z97 chipset adds a few niceties and is needed to overclock
- 2 sticks of RAM is better than one. You get twice the bandwidth and should one die you have a spare to run on.
- Cheaper SSD with no drop in quality
- Better cooler on this 970. No need for a blower cooler.
- Cheaper PSU but a better OEM inside, Seasonic rather than CWT. 550w will easily power this set up too.

Amazing tips. Thanks!
 

DrForester

Kills Photobucket
Thoughts on this build? Seems like there's a good way to shave some cost out of this.

**CPU** | [Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i74790k) | $318.87 @ OutletPC
**CPU Cooler** | [Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/zalman-cpu-cooler-cnps9900maxb) | $29.99 @ Newegg
**Motherboard** | [Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-maximusviihero) | $179.99 @ NCIX US
**Memory** | [G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f31866c9d16gsr) | $149.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te250bw) | $123.98 @ OutletPC
**Video Card** | [MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx970gaming4g) (2-Way SLI) | $339.99 @ B&H
**Video Card** | [MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx970gaming4g) (2-Way SLI) | $339.99 @ B&H

Planning on reusing the PSU I have now. It's only 2 years old, modular, and has served me well. Going for something quiet, and the reviews on the Deep Silence 5 have been great, but it doesn't show up on the PC Part Picker list.
 

Flandy

Member
When I had the issue, I only ever noticed it flickering on my left monitor in Windows, not in BIOS. In Windows I had the monitors set to extend the desktop, but before loading Windows, both monitors are limited to mirror mode in BIOS and startup.

In my case, raising my 5850's non-gaming GPU clock to about 450-500MHz instead of 400MHz stopped it. I can't say 100% that you have the exact same issue, but it's worth a try.

How do I change it? Drivers are updated and I'm currently in the Catalyst Control Center.
Under AMD OverDrive it says my GPU clock is currently at 300MHz and my Memory clock is 150MHz
 

Idba

Member
GuyS, which one of these should i get?

Sapphire R9 280 3GB

MSI GTX 760 2GB Twin Frozr

Asus GTX 760 2GB


EVGA GTX 760 2GB
 

RGM79

Member
Well GAF, after a lot of research, planning to buy this rig. I'm looking forward a small setup so I could carry around easily. Any comments?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($93.29 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($86.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Corsair Force LX Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($127.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Red) Mini ITX Tower Case ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1010.22
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-26 12:27 EST-0500

The i5 4670 is kind of expensive, the 4690K is only $5 more at $215 (or $180 from Microcenter in store pickup) and allows you to overclock, so there's no reason to not spring for the 4690K even if you don't intend to overclock now. If you are sure you will never want to overclock, then you can get the i5 4590 for $160 from Microcentre in store pickup, otherwise it is just $180 for the difference of 0.1GHz compared to the i5 4670.

I recommend a CPU cooler like the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo for $27, it'll run cooler and quieter than the stock Intel fan.

You can save quite a bit of money on the memory, SSD, and PSU. In certain situations, Bitfenix recommends a non-modular power supply because it will fit slightly better into the power supply compartment than a modular one due to the fact that non-modular cables can be bent as they come out of the PSU enclosure while modular cables have a plug and stick out a bit further, but it does mean you will need to do some cable management to prevent extra cables from being a mess. I recommend the EVGA 600B, despite only costing $20 after a $20 rebate, it does have a decent review from Techpowerup, a length of 150mm which is guaranteed to fit well in the PSU compartment without being too snug, and enough cables for an mITX system.

Here's my version of your build, overall $55 was saved while performance did not go down due to the alternate parts and I was able to include a CPU cooler:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Red) Mini ITX Tower Case ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $955.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-26 13:18 EST-0500
 

kharma45

Member
You can save quite a bit of money on the memory, SSD, and PSU. In certain situations, Bitfenix recommends a non-modular power supply because it will fit slightly better into the power supply compartment than a modular one due to the fact that non-modular cables can be bent as they come out of the PSU enclosure while modular cables have a plug and stick out a bit further, but it does mean you will need to do some cable management to prevent extra cables from being a mess. I recommend the EVGA 600B, despite only costing $20 after a $20 rebate, it does have a decent review from Techpowerup, a length of 150mm which is guaranteed to fit well in the PSU compartment without being too snug, and enough cables for an mITX system.

That's why I chose the V550 in my build a few above yours. It's only 140mm long whilst being both modular and Gold rated.

GuyS, which one of these should i get?

Sapphire R9 280 3GB

MSI GTX 760 2GB Twin Frozr

Asus GTX 760 2GB


EVGA GTX 760 2GB

Depends on prices.
 

Orayn

Member
Alright, so I recently came into some cash and I've decided to put at least some of this into computer upgrades. My current specs are...


  • CPU: i5 2500k - Stock cooler and speeds
  • Motherboard: Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Rev 1.0 - Compatible with 3XXX processors, seemingly?
  • RAM: 8GB
  • GPU: XFX HD7870 - Has coil whine and I'm getting kind of fed up with AMD in general
  • Storage
    • WD Caviar Black 640GB, 32MB cache - OS, docs/settings, certain game installs
    • WD Caviar Green 1TB, 64MB cache - Steam game installs. I know this is bad.
    • Seagate Barracuda 1TB, 32MB cache - Media. Should probably swap the contents of this one with the green.
  • PSU: Antec BP550 Plus
  • Case: Antec P180
  • Display:
    • My main monitor and TV are both 1080p with no immediate plans for a higher resolution or G-sync.
    • If I were to upgrade something, it'd be changing my monitor to a Korean WQHD IPS monitor, though like I said, I have no burning desire to do this.
  • Input and Sound: Happy with what I have for now.
My current thoughts on what I want to upgrade are as follows, roughly ordered by priority:


  • GPU upgrade because of the aforementioned issues and my current one starting to show its age. I'd been eyeing a GTX 970, but I'm open to other suggestions. Hoping for mostly-max settings (post-AA is fine) on new games at 1080p60, a target I was hitting with my HD7870 until fairly recently.
  • Getting an SSD because I want some of those blazing startup speeds, removal of HDD bottleneck for certain games. Unsure about size, only needs to be big enough for Windows and maybe a handful of game installs. Docs/settings would stay on my 640GB.
  • Case: I love my P180 dearly, but it's gotten pretty beaten up from transport back and forth from home/dorm/LAN parties in the 8+ years I've had it. Recently found out that you can't even get new HDD brackets for it any more. Looking to possibly replace with something simple-looking and relatively quiet, perhaps closer to a normal mid-tower form factor since the P180 is pretty huge.
There are a few other considerations like going to 16GB RAM for Solidworks stuff, shuffling around the contents of my hard drives, and considering a new air cooler and a CPU overclock, but the above items are what I need some advice for. Hoping to spend no more than ~$500 on a new GPU, case, and SSD, willing to spend more and happy to spend less depending on what people think I need.
 

RGM79

Member
Thoughts on this build? Seems like there's a good way to shave some cost out of this.

**CPU** | [Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i74790k) | $318.87 @ OutletPC
**CPU Cooler** | [Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/zalman-cpu-cooler-cnps9900maxb) | $29.99 @ Newegg
**Motherboard** | [Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-maximusviihero) | $179.99 @ NCIX US
**Memory** | [G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f31866c9d16gsr) | $149.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te250bw) | $123.98 @ OutletPC
**Video Card** | [MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx970gaming4g) (2-Way SLI) | $339.99 @ B&H
**Video Card** | [MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx970gaming4g) (2-Way SLI) | $339.99 @ B&H

Planning on reusing the PSU I have now. It's only 2 years old, modular, and has served me well. Going for something quiet, and the reviews on the Deep Silence 5 have been great, but it doesn't show up on the PC Part Picker list.

I'd go with the 4690K, and cheaper parts all round except for the graphics card. Little to no drop in performance when it comes to games.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($116.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($339.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($339.99 @ B&H)
Total: $1273.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-26 13:41 EST-0500

How do I change it? Drivers are updated and I'm currently in the Catalyst Control Center.
Under AMD OverDrive it says my GPU clock is currently at 300MHz and my Memory clock is 150MHz

Hmm, Catalyst has changed since I last used it to change the idle/current clock speed. Overdrive says it only applies when gaming. I'm actually not sure how to change it from the current speed, outside of installing an older driver and Catalyst Control Centre application.

You could try installing MSI Afterburner and disabling ULPS. That's a power savings feature and may improve idle/2D clock speed.

That's why I chose the V550 in my build a few above yours. It's only 140mm long whilst being both modular and Gold rated.

Yeah, don't worry about it. I took a while to put the list together and didn't notice you already gave him a build. Wasn't saying your recommendation was worse.
 

kharma45

Member
Alright, so I recently came into some cash and I've decided to put at least some of this into computer upgrades. My current specs are...


  • CPU: i5 2500k - Stock cooler and speeds
  • Motherboard: Gigabyte Z68AP-D3 Rev 1.0 - Compatible with 3XXX processors, seemingly?
  • RAM: 8GB
  • GPU: XFX HD7870 - Has coil whine and I'm getting kind of fed up with AMD in general
  • Storage
    • WD Caviar Black 640GB, 32MB cache - OS, docs/settings, certain game installs
    • WD Caviar Green 1TB, 64MB cache - Steam game installs. I know this is bad.
    • Seagate Barracuda 1TB, 32MB cache - Media. Should probably swap the contents of this one with the green.
  • PSU: Antec BP550 Plus
  • Case: Antec P180
  • Display:
    • My main monitor and TV are both 1080p with no immediate plans for a higher resolution or G-sync.
    • If I were to upgrade something, it'd be changing my monitor to a Korean WQHD IPS monitor, though like I said, I have no burning desire to do this.
  • Input and Sound: Happy with what I have for now.
My current thoughts on what I want to upgrade are as follows, roughly ordered by priority:


  • GPU upgrade because of the aforementioned issues and my current one starting to show its age. I'd been eyeing a GTX 970, but I'm open to other suggestions.
  • Getting an SSD because I want some of those blazing startup speeds, removal of HDD bottleneck for certain games. Unsure about size, only needs to be big enough for Windows and maybe a handful of game installs. Docs/settings would stay on my 640GB.
  • Case: I love my P180 dearly, but it's gotten pretty beaten up from transport back and forth from home/dorm/LAN parties in the 8+ years I've had it. Recently found out that you can't even get new HDD brackets for it any more. Looking to possibly replace with something simple-looking and relatively quiet, perhaps closer to a normal mid-tower form factor since the P180 is pretty huge.
There are a few other considerations like going to 16GB RAM, shuffling around the contents of my hard drives, and considering a new air cooler and a CPU overclock, but the above items are what I need some advice for. Hoping to spend no more than ~$500 on a new GPU, case, and SSD, willing to spend and happy to spend less depending on what people think I need.

Get a Hyper 212 and OC that CPU.

16GB RAM you don't need if you're just gaming.

As you know, you need an SSD. Godly upgrade.

GPU upgrade too. 970 is what I'd look to, they're far from immune from coil whine though.

I'd look at

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.75 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $561.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-26 13:55 EST-0500

And sell your GPU to help bridge the gap between the final bill there and your budget. If you wanted though you could grab an R4 for slightly less

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.75 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $531.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-26 13:57 EST-0500

and if you really wanted to get down to $500 a smaller SSD

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.75 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($61.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($329.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $487.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-26 13:59 EST-0500
 

Orayn

Member
Thanks for the suggestions and lists, kharma45!

Glad I was on the right track with the GTX 970. Coil whine isn't a total dealbreaker since my current sound card is external and future upgrades may be as well, but it'd be nice if I didn't have to deal with it any more. My current PSU should be fine, right? I was doing a little preliminary research and it seemed like the GTX 970 had lower power requirements than what I've got right now.

Also, I know 16GB RAM isn't strictly necessary for games, I'd mostly want it as extra legroom for Solidworks and video editing where more is always better, and also as a big-ass prerecord buffer for capturing game footage.
 

Minamu

Member
Can I ask about laptop performance in here? I'm not looking for advice on a new pc to buy. It's just that my mom's semi-old laptop is acting really strange. Bootup time is quite slow, getting Windows to respond to starting Chrome or anything else for that matter once you've logged in is also quite long, and the general performance when watching youtube or netflix isn't very pleasant sometimes either. I've run CCleaner multiple times, recently installed AdBlock in Chrome which actually seemed to help a bit (although I've heard that FF is probably a lot smarter choice), and I've configured msconfig and services.msc to not boot the unnecessary stuff. i don't know what else to do. Superfetching is deactivated and so is indexing of the files. She has plenty of space available, about half of C:\ and only 1GB used on D:\ out of 183GB. I mean, loading all folders in the start menu is slower than it should be! :lol The HDD itself is only 1% fragmented according to Windows' own defrag program.

She's on Win 7 Ultimate with Service Pack 1 installed (64-bit, but so is the processor so it should be alright?). The processor is a paltry Intel Celeron 900 at 2.20 Ghz with 2GB ram, granted. The graphics card is obviously built in with a "Mobile Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family".

The laptop is standing on top of an anti-overheating soft plate of sorts, so it's not especially warm to the touch, but the idling fan beneath does sound very odd, like it's clogged with dust or not running at the proper speed, all wobbly like I guess. Any thoughts on what to do? I've built my own PC's before but I've never cleaned a laptop in any hardware sense.
 

RaoulDuke

Member
looking for a monitor, under 200$. I got one for xmas but its got a glossy screen so i want to swap it out.

i was looking at this one from the OP ASUS VS239H-P
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236288

any difference going up to a ASUS VN248H-P ?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236335

if its just adding things like built in speakers i dont need anything like that. Im surprised how overwhelming looking at monitors are... way to many to pick from lol.

Thanks!
 

Flandy

Member
Hmm, Catalyst has changed since I last used it to change the idle/current clock speed. Overdrive says it only applies when gaming. I'm actually not sure how to change it from the current speed, outside of installing an older driver and Catalyst Control Centre application.

You could try installing MSI Afterburner and disabling ULPS. That's a power savings feature and may improve idle/2D clock speed.

Disabling ULPS didn't work :x

Like it's not even a flicker on one part of the screen. The entire TV goes black for a second before the image returns so it pretty much becomes unusable unless I'm playing a game. I've been leaving Minecraft open in the background to avoid the flicker in the meantime :x
 

kharma45

Member
Thanks for the suggestions and lists, kharma45!

Glad I was on the right track with the GTX 970. Coil whine isn't a total dealbreaker since my current sound card is external and future upgrades may be as well, but it'd be nice if I didn't have to deal with it any more. My current PSU should be fine, right? I was doing a little preliminary research and it seemed like the GTX 970 had lower power requirements than what I've got right now.

Also, I know 16GB RAM isn't strictly necessary for games, I'd mostly want it as extra legroom for Solidworks and video editing where more is always better, and also as a big-ass prerecord buffer for capturing game footage.

Yes the BP550 is still a fine PSU and will easily power a 970.

If you add in the RAM you're going to be talking another 60-70 dollars, so even with that cheapest upgrade option you'd be going over the $500 mark.
 

Thorgal

Member
I don't know how bad this problem would be for 1080p@27", but I can clearly see the black lines separating the pixels of my 1366x768@15.6" laptop (not for gaming so I don't care).

I just hope you are sitting a bit away from the screen.

For gaming sessions i move the desk stool away and sit in the sofa which is farther away .
 
Anyone in here have that new Dell U2715h monitor that came out a month or so ago? It's the 2014 refresh of their 27" 1440p IPS monitor, and i'm verrrrry tempted to grab it (have a new superpowered PC showing up Jan 5th and would like a nice new monitor to match)
 

Idba

Member
Depends on prices.

Sapphire R9 280 3GB is 1 649 crowns

MSI GTX 760 2GB Twin Frozr is 1 825 crowns

Asus GTX 760 2GB is 1 795 crowns

EVGA GTX 760 2GB is 2 095 crowns

Nothing to major in price difference. Also, will AMD cards hold up as well to Nvidia cards? Ive heard about a lot of games optimized for Nvidia while fucked up for AMD.
 

SpeedyDesiato

Neo Member
No reason not to go mATX, let alone mITX, heres a more powerful build for less, an smaller formfactor with builtin wifi up AC.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V3 3.3GHz Quad-Core OEM/Tray Processor (£193.17 @ PC World Business)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£25.34 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard (£77.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston Fury White Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£63.42 @ CCL Computers)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£52.00 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Toshiba 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£37.60 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (£278.99 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Fractal Design Node 304 Mini ITX Tower Case (£62.75 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12G 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply (£73.49 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £864.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-25 17:20 GMT+0000

Right, I'm just gonna order these parts. Gotta admit I'm pretty nervous as I have no clue what I'm doing, but here's hoping it'll all come together!
 
Why does my motherboard output a signal to HDMI instead of DVI (where my monitor is) during POST even though the TV connected to the HDMI is turned off?
I have to turn on the TV every time I want to see any POST info or get into BIOS. >(
It's annoying and I don't know why is that happening.
MBO is ASUS Z87 Pro, GPU is Gigabyte GTX 970 G1.
Anyone? This is driving me mad all evening.
I tried everything, unplugging and plugging the displays back in, completely reinstalling the NVIDIA drivers (used DDU to be sure), nothing works.
When TV (HDMI) is disconnected, my monitor is being properly shown as "1" and primary.
As soon as I connect the HDMI, the monitor switches to "2" and I don't have access to UEFI or anything pre-Windows (it displays to TV even when it's off).
FUUUUUUUUUUUUU-
aGnsjqf.jpg


How to switch this? I want my monitor to be 1 and TV 2! :(
 

RGM79

Member
Anyone? This is driving me mad all evening.
I tried everything, unplugging and plugging the displays back in, completely reinstalling the NVIDIA drivers (used DDU to be sure), nothing works.
When TV (HDMI) is disconnected, my monitor is being properly shown as "1" and primary.
As soon as I connect the HDMI, the monitor switches to "2" and I don't have access to UEFI or anything pre-Windows (it displays to TV even when it's off).
FUUUUUUUUUUUUU-
aGnsjqf.jpg


How to switch this? I want my monitor to be 1 and TV 2! :(

In Windows resolution and monitor settings, can't you simply set your monitor to be the primary display?
 


In Windows resolution and monitor settings, can't you simply set your monitor to be the primary display?
It's set to primary.
The problem is that as far as the GPU goes, on some low level, HDMI is "primary" since that's the output it displays prior to loading Windows (BIOS, boot options, etc.).
This is sooooooooo annoying and I can't seem to find the fix.

edit: I give up. Fuck this shit. This is obviously some GPU BIOS-level predefined shit that you can't change. >( I'll try switching to Display Port for my Dell and see if that helps. Uuuughhhhh.
 

UncleO

Member
Anyone? This is driving me mad all evening.
I tried everything, unplugging and plugging the displays back in, completely reinstalling the NVIDIA drivers (used DDU to be sure), nothing works.
When TV (HDMI) is disconnected, my monitor is being properly shown as "1" and primary.
As soon as I connect the HDMI, the monitor switches to "2" and I don't have access to UEFI or anything pre-Windows (it displays to TV even when it's off).
FUUUUUUUUUUUUU-
aGnsjqf.jpg


How to switch this? I want my monitor to be 1 and TV 2! :(

Right click on your desktop> screen resolution and not the Nvidia Control panel. You should be able to assign your screens there.
 
Right click on your desktop> screen resolution and not the Nvidia Control panel. You should be able to assign your screens there.
Tried it. It doesn't allow me to change which monitor is being identified as 1 or 2.
I can freely select almost anything else (which monitor is primary, portrait/landscape, resolution, etc.).
The very fact that this problem occurs on BOOT, prior to even loading Windows is just proof that as far as GPU is concerned, HDMI port is 1, DVI is 2 and there's nothing I can do about it. :/
 

Flandy

Member
So does anyone know how to increase the idle clockspeed on a Sapphire 7950?
The only option I seem to have to change clock speeds in the Catalyst Control Center is enabling Graphics OverDrive, but that only changes the speeds in High Performance mode and not while just browsing the web or on your desktop. GPU Clock is 300MHz and Memory Clock is 150MHz while idle.
 

RGM79

Member
So does anyone know how to increase the idle clockspeed on a Sapphire 7950?
The only option I seem to have to change clock speeds in the Catalyst Control Center is enabling Graphics OverDrive, but that only changes the speeds in High Performance mode and not while just browsing the web or on your desktop. GPU Clock is 300MHz and Memory Clock is 150MHz while idle.

Not even RadeonPro has the feature you need, it seems. Other than installing older driver and Catalyst program, it doesn't seem possible. It may be possible to use newer drivers with older Catalyst programs.
 

DrForester

Kills Photobucket
I'd go with the 4690K, and cheaper parts all round except for the graphics card. Little to no drop in performance when it comes to games.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($116.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($339.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($339.99 @ B&H)
Total: $1273.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-26 13:41 EST-0500

Would this still allow me to attempt overclocking? I have never done it before, but am interested in experimenting with this build.
 

RGM79

Member
Would this still allow me to attempt overclocking? I have never done it before, but am interested in experimenting with this build.

Yes, all K series processors can be overclocked, and the heatsink and motherboard are good enough to get you to 4.5GHz, perhaps a bit higher.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom